maize Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I just discovered beet greens last year--they were delicious, don't know why I had only thought of eating the roots before. What other greens should I be growing/eating? What are your favorite greens and how do you like to eat them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzybluecheese Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 In the winter, I grow collards. They are suppose to be one of those "super" foods. I like them either sauteed or boiled. I've always heard that the pot liquor (juice left from boiling) is supposed to be very good for you. I love the pot liquor over a piece of corn bread! My sister and mother both like turnips and mustard greens. I think they may be a little stronger in flavor. You may want to check out those three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Turnip or collard greens, cooked the southern way -- very well boiled with some sort of pork for seasoning (ham hock, bacon, bacon fat, etc.). Yummy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I like kale and swiss chard. I can't stand mustard greens. One year we grew a ton of them and no matter what I did to them I couldn't make them edible. I agree, when they are cooked, mustard greens are unpleasant to me. However, I think they work just fine raw in green smoothies. Of course, they aren't the only ingredient. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 A recent discovery that I made was that the tops of radishes are also edible. Here is a recipe. I have also read that pesto can be made from carrot tops but I have yet to try this. Happy eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Swiss chard. Google "companion planting" to get some good ideas of what to plant where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I've grown and eaten tons of different greens, and like all of them to varying degrees. Most greens are cool weather crops, so I either start them in late winter or very early spring for spring harvesting, or in late summer for fall harvesting. Fall greens have worked out better for me than those grown in the spring. We usually saute greens in olive oil or bacon fat with onions, or stir fry them. When small and tender (leaf size < 4"), most greens can be used as salad ingredients. Our favorite cooking greens are spinach, kale, beet tops, and tatsoi. Our favorite salad greens are spinach, lettuce, claytonia, mache, orach, sorrel (a perennial), and arugula. We have grown regular mustard greens like southern giant and think they are a little pungent, but they are beautiful. Others we've grown are: Belgian endive (must be "forced" inside in winter from summer-grown roots), collards, radicchio, curly endive, escarole, turnip greens, Swiss chard, upland cress, mizuna, and mibuna. We haven't grown warm weather spinach substitutes such as malibar or New Zealand spinach. We also haven't grown watercress. If I could recommend one green for you to try this fall, it would be tatsoi. It is a very mild Japanese mustard with deep-green spoon-shaped leaves that grow in pretty rosettes. We eat it in salads and stir frys, and my family loves it. You can plant tatsoi seeds directly into the garden about 1" apart after the worst of heat of summer is over (mid-August here in Virginia), then gradually thin it to 8" apart. Harvest it until the weather consistently stays below freezing in the daytime (December here). I could keep tatsoi all winter long in my cold frames if I we didn't eat it all. I hope you enjoy your green growing, GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I don't grow them on purpose, but dandelion greens are quite tasty. They are a holdover from what my grandmother fed me. It wouldn't be spring w/o some. *obviously from a spot with no spraying, like my yard, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 Thank you everyone! I'm hearing about a lot of options I didn't even know existed, or have heard of but never eaten. The only greens I remember eating growing up were lettuce and spinach (usually as spinach soup, it was yummy). I'm excited to try some new things. We do have lots of dandelions, and I have started experimenting with them. They work fine in small amounts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 When we have a garden going, I snips ends off everything here and there to toss in salad. This early time of the season would usually be kohlrabi leaves (stripped of the veins), pea shoots, and green onions or garlic scapes in a wilted dressing. Toward the middle of the summer we eat lots of purslane, but that's a weed. I can't imagine eating raw mustard either WendyK. They're supposed to be prickly like that. That's why the pests leave them in the garden for us to eat. :laugh: They go into soups or anything with lots of bacon around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 A recent discovery that I made was that the tops of radishes are also edible. Here is a recipe. I have also read that pesto can be made from carrot tops but I have yet to try this. Happy eating. I let them grow up so they go to seed, then eat the seed pods. The bees LOVE the flowers, and they usually bloom at a good time to draw the pollinators in so they'll already know where my garden is when I need them. I lightly cook the seed pods in some of my Asian dishes, or just pop them off and munch on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 When we have a garden going, I snips ends off everything here and there to toss in salad. This early time of the season would usually be kohlrabi leaves (stripped of the veins), pea shoots, and green onions or garlic scapes in a wilted dressing. Toward the middle of the summer we eat lots of purslane, but that's a weed. I can't imagine eating raw mustard either WendyK. They're supposed to be prickly like that. That's why the pests leave them in the garden for us to eat. :laugh: They go into soups or anything with lots of bacon around here. So how do I know which plants/parts of plants are edible? I believe that potato plants and leaves, for example, are poisonous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Chives. Chives are tasty and make me happy. Ask me again in two months. We planted a bunch of greens I've only ever heard of yesterday. I'm terribly excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 So how do I know which plants/parts of plants are edible? I believe that potato plants and leaves, for example, are poisonous. Yes, they are! But sweet potato leaves are okay to eat. Brassicas are generally okay to eat, nightshades are not. If you're planting a garden, learn as much as you can about each thing you are planting. A glance through something like Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living will talk about the majority of common garden plants. Something like William Weaver's Heirloom Vegetable Gardening will talk more about the history of how vegetables were developed, and it has a lot of information about ways plants used to be eaten or grown. If anyone wants to surprise me with a copy of that book for myself, feel free! I've only ever borrowed it from the library, but it's an excellent book. It's also very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzybluecheese Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I just got off the phone with a friend of mine, and she reminded me about green gumbo. It starts with a roux just like any other gumbo. There are plenty of recipes out there for it and most call for assorted greens. It's a gumbo, so throw in anything you like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 We got lots of greens from Brussels Sprouts last year in our CSA and they were very good. Sweet and mild tasting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 I'm re-reading all your fabulous recommendations this morning and dreaming of my garden. Can't wait to get my hands out in the dirt, but of course we had a freeze last night the forecast says it won't warm up until this weekend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Kolrabe, spinach, kale, swiss chards, radish tops...we have grown all of this so far this year. The spinach and kolrabe did great over the winter. What was grown, kept and we could pick anytime, then it started growing again about 6 weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beckster Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Our CSA has been loaded with greens. I found a book, Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas. It tells you all about each different type of green, how to store, tons of recipes. It is wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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